畢業(yè)論文英文翻譯-信息時代的機械工程

MechanicalEngineeringintheInformationAgeIntheearly1980s,engineersthoughtthatmassiveresearchwouldbeneededtospeedupproductdevelopment.Asitturnsout,lessresearchisactuallyneededbecauseshortenedproductdevelopmentcyclesencourageengineerstouseavailabletechnology.Developingarevolutionarytechnologyforuseinanewproductisriskyandpronetofailure.Takingshortstepsisasaferandusuallymoresuccessfulapproachtoproductdevelopment.Shorterproductdevelopmentcyclesarealsobeneficialinanengineeringwouldinwhichbothcapitalandlaborareglobal.Peoplewhocandesignandmanufacturevariousproductscanbefoundanywhereintheworld,butcontaininganewideaishard.Geographicdistanceisnolongerabarriertoothersfindingoutaboutyourdevelopmentsixmonthsintotheprocess.Ifyou’vegotashortdevelopmentcycle,thesituationisnotcatastrophic－aslongasyoumaintainyourlead.Butifyou’reinthemidstofasix-yeardevelopmentprocessandacompetitorgetswindofyourwork,theprojectcouldbeinmoreserioustrouble.Theideathatengineersneedtocreateanewdesigntosolveeveryproblemisquicklybecomingobsolete.ThefirststepinthemoderndesignprocessistobrowsetheInternetorotherinformationsystemstoseeifsomeoneelsehasalreadydesignedatransmission,oraheatexchangerthatisclosetowhatyouneed.Throughtheseinformationsystems,youmaydiscoverthatsomeonealreadyhasmanufacturingdrawings,numericalcontrolprograms,andeverythingelserequiredtomanufactureyourproduct.Engineerscanthenfocustheirprofessionalcompetenceonunsolvedproblems.Manyengineershaveastheirfunctionthedesigningofproductsthataretobebroughtintorealitythroughtheprocessingorfabricationofmaterials.Inthiscapacitytheyareakeyfactorinthematerialselection-manufacturingprocedure.Adesignengineer,betterthananyotherperson,shouldknowwhatheorshewantsadesigntoaccomplish.Heknowswhatassumptionshehasmadeaboutserviceloadsandrequirements,whatserviceenvironmenttheproductmustwithstand,andwhatappearancehewantsthefinalproducttohave.Inordertomeettheserequirementshemustselectandspecifythematerial(s)tobeused.Inmostcases,inordertoutilizethematerialandtoenabletheproducttohavethedesiredform,heknowsthatcertainmanufacturingprocesseswillhavetobeemployed.Inmanyinstances,theselectionofaspecificmaterialmaydictatewhatprocessingmustbeused.Atthesametime,whencertainprocessesaretobeused,thedesignmayhavetobemodifiedmaydictatewhatprocessingmustbeused.Atthesametime,whencertainprocessesaretobeused,thedesignmayhavebemodifiedinorderfortheprocesstobeutilizedeffectivelyandeconomically.Certaindimensionaltolerancescandictatetheprocessing.Inanycase,inthesequenceofconvertingthedesignintoreality,suchdecisionsmustbemadebysomeone.Inmostinstancestheycanbemademosteffectivelyatthedesignstage,bythedesignerifhehasareasonablyadequateknowledgeconcerningmaterialsandmanufacturingprocesses.Otherwise,decisionsmaybemadethatwilldetractfromtheeeffectivenessoftheproduct,ortheproductmaybeneedlesslycostly.Itisthusapparentthatdesignengineersareavitalfactorinthemanufacturingprocess,anditisindeedablessingtothecompanyiftheycandesignforproducibility—thatis,forefficientproduction.Manufacturingengineersselectandcoordinatespecificprocessesandequipmenttobeused,orsuperviseandmanagetheiruse.Somedesignspecialtoolingthatisusedsothatstandardmachinescanbeutilizedenproducingspecificproducts.Theseengineersmusthabeabroadknowledgeofmachineandprocesscapabilitiesandofmaterials,sothatdesiredoperationscanbedoneeffectivelyandeffi8cientlywithoutoverloadingordamagingmachinesandwithoutadverselyaffectingthematerialsbeingprocessed.Thesemanufacturingengineersalsoplayanimportantroleenmanufacturing.Arelativelysmallgroupofengineersdesignthemachinesandequipmentusedenmanufacturing.Theyobviouslyaredesignengineersand,relativetotheirproducts,theyhavethesameconcernsoftheinterrelationshipofdesign,materials,andmanufacturingprocesses.Howevertheyhaveanevengreaterconcernregardingthepropertiesofthematerialsthattheirmachinesaregoingtoprocessandtheinterrelationsofthematerialsandmachines.Stillanothergroupofengineers—thematerialsengineers—devotetheirmajoreffortstowarddevelopingnewandbettermaterials.They,too,mustbeconcernedwithhowthesematerialscanbeprocessedandwiththeeffectstheprocessingwillhaveonthepropertiesofthematerials.Althoughtheirrolesmaybequitedifferent,itisapparentthatalargeproportionofengineersmustconcernthemselveswiththeinterrelationshipbetweenmaterialsandmanufacturingprocesses.Low-costmanufacturedoesnotjusthappen.Thereisacloseandinterdependentrelationshipbetweenthedesignofaproduct,selectionofmaterials,selectionofprocessesandequipment,andtoolingselectionanddesign.Eachofthesemustbecarefullyconsidered,planned,andcoordinatedbeforemanufacturingstarts.Thisleadtime,particularlyforcomplicatedproducts,maytakemonths,evenyears,andtheexpenditureoflargeamountofmoneymaybeinvolved.Typically,theleadtimeforacompletelynewmodelofanautomobileisabout2years,foramodernaircraftitmaybe4years.Intacklingsuchproblems,theavailabilityofhigh-poweredpersonalcomputersandaccesstotheinformationhighwaydramaticallyenhancethecapabilityoftheengineeringteamanditsproductivity.Theseinformationagetoolscangivetheteamaccesstomassivedatabasesofmaterialproperties,standards,technologies,andsuccessfuldesigns.Suchprotesteddesignscanbedownloadedfordirectuseorquicklymodifiedtomeetspecificneeds.Remotemanufacturing,inwhichproductinstructionsaresentoutoveranetwork,isalsopossible.Youcouldendupwithavirtualcompanywhereyoudon’thavetoseeanyhardware.Whentheproductiscompleted,youcandirectthemanufacturertodrop-shipittoyourcustomer.Periodicvisitstothecustomercanbemadetoensurethattheproductyoudesignedisworkingaccordingtothespecifications.Althoughallofthesedevelopmentswon’tapplyequallytoeverycompany,thepotentialisthere.Customdesignusedtobelefttosmallcompanies.Bigcompaniessneeredatit－theyhatedtheideaofdealingwithnichemarketsorsmall-volumecustomsolutions.“Hereismyproduct,”O(jiān)neofthebigcompanieswouldsay.“Thisisthebestwecanmakeit－yououghttolikeit.Ifyoudon’t,there’ssmallercompanydownthestreetthatwillworkonyourproblem.”Today,nearlyeverymarketisanichemarket,becausecustomersareselective.Ifyouignorethepotentialfortailoringyourproducttospecificcustomers’needs,youwilllosethemajorpartofyourmarketshare－perhapsallofit.Sincethesenichemarketsaretransient,yourcompanyneedstobeinapositiontorespondtothemquickly.Theemergenceofnichemarketsanddesignondemandhasalteredthewayengineersconductresearch.Today,researchiscommonlydirectedtowardsolvingparticularproblems.Althoughthissituationisprobablytemporary,muchuncommittedtechnology,developedatgovernmentexpenseorwrittenoffbymajorcorporations,isavailabletodayatverylowcost.Followingmodestmodifications,suchtechnologycanoftenbeuseddirectlyinproductdevelopment,whichallowsmanyorganizationstoavoidtheexpenseofanextensiveresearcheffort.Oncethetechnologyisfreeofmajorobstacles,theresearcheffortcanfocusonovercomingthebarrierstocommercializationratherthanonpursuingnewandinteresting,butundefined,alternatives.Whenviewedinthisperspective,engineeringresearchmustfocusprimarilyonremovingthebarrierstorapidcommercializationofknowntechnologies.Muchofthiseffortmustaddressqualityandreliabilityconcerns,whichareforemostinthemindsoftoday’sconsumers.Clearly,areputationforpoorqualityissynonymouswithbadbusiness.Everythingpossible－includingthoroughinspectionattheendofthemanufacturinglineandautomaticreplacementofdefectiveproducts－mustbedonetoassurethatthecustomerreceivesaproperlyfunctioningproduct.Researchhastofocusonthecostbenefitoffactorssuchasreliability.Asreliabilityincreases,manufacturingcostsandthefinalcostofthesystemwilldecrease.Having30percentjunkattheendofaproductionlinenotonlycostsafortunebutalsocreatesanopportunityforacompetitortotakeyourideaandsellittoyourcustomers.Centraltotheprocessofimprovingreliabilityandloweringcostsistheintensiveandwidespreaduseofdesignsoftware,whichallowsengineerstospeedupeverystageofthedesignprocess.Shorteningeachstage,however,maynotsufficientlyreducethetimerequiredfortheentireprocess.Therefore,attentionmustalsobedevotedtoconcurrentengineeringsoftwarewithshareddatabasesthatcanbeaccessedbyallmembersofthedesignteam.AswemovemorefullyintotheInformationAge,successwillrequirethattheengineerpossesssomeuniqueknowledgeofandexperienceinboththedevelopmentandthemanagementoftechnology.Successwillrequirebroadknowledgeandskillsaswellasexpertiseinsomekeytechnologiesanddisciplines;itwillalsorequireakeenawarenessofthesocialandeconomicfactorsatworkinthemarketplace.Increasingly,inthefuture,routineproblemswillnotjustifyheavyengineeringexpenditures,andengineerswillbeexpectedtoworkcooperativelyinsolvingmorechallenging,moredemandingproblemsinsubstantiallylesstime.Wehavebegunanewphaseinthepracticeofengineering.Itoffersgreatpromiseandexcitementasmoreandmoreproblem－solvingcapabilityisplacedinthehandsofthecomputerizedandwiredengineer.Toassuresuccess,thecapabilityofourtoolsandtheunquenchedthirstforbetterproductsandsystemsmustbematchedbythejoyofcreationthatmarksallgreatengineeringendeavors.Mechanicalengineeringisagreatprofession,anditwillbecomeevengreateraswemakethemostoftheopportunitiesofferedbytheInformationAge.信息時代的機械工程在80年代初期，工程師們曾經(jīng)認為要加快產(chǎn)品的研制開發(fā)，必須進行大量的研究工作。結(jié)果是實際上只進行了較少的研究工作，這是因為產(chǎn)品開發(fā)周期的縮短，促使工程師們盡可能地利用現(xiàn)有的技術(shù)。研制開發(fā)一種創(chuàng)新性的技術(shù)并將其應(yīng)用在新產(chǎn)品上，是有風(fēng)險的，并且易于招致失敗。在產(chǎn)品開發(fā)過程中采用較少的步驟是一種安全的和易于成功的方法。對于資金和從略都處于全球性環(huán)境中的工程界而言，縮短產(chǎn)品研制開發(fā)周期也是有益的。能夠設(shè)計和制造各種產(chǎn)品的人可以在世界各地找到。但是，具有創(chuàng)新思想感情的人則比較難找。對于你已經(jīng)進行了6個月的研制開發(fā)工作，地理上的距離已經(jīng)不再是其他人發(fā)現(xiàn)它的障礙。如果你的研制周期較短，只要你仍然保持領(lǐng)先，這種情況親不會造成嚴重后果。但是如果你正處于一個長達6年的研制開發(fā)過程的中期，一個競爭對手了解到你的研究工作的一些信息，這個項目將面臨比較大的麻煩。工程師們在解決任何問題時都需要進行新的設(shè)計這種觀念很快就過時了。在現(xiàn)代設(shè)計中的第一步是瀏覽因特網(wǎng)或者其他信息系統(tǒng)，看其他人是否已經(jīng)設(shè)計了一種類似于你所需要的產(chǎn)品，諸如傳動裝置或者換熱器等。通過這些信息系統(tǒng)，你可能發(fā)現(xiàn)有些人已經(jīng)有了制造圖紙，數(shù)控程序和制造你的產(chǎn)品所需要的其他所有東西。這樣，工程師們就可以把他們的職業(yè)技能集中在尚未解決的問題上。許多工程師的職責是進行產(chǎn)品設(shè)計，而產(chǎn)品是通過對材料的加工制造而生產(chǎn)出來的。設(shè)計工程師在材料選擇——制造方法等方面起著關(guān)鍵的作用。一個設(shè)計工程師應(yīng)該比其他的人更清楚地知道他的設(shè)計需要達到什么目的。他知道他對使用荷載和使用要求所做的假設(shè)，產(chǎn)品的使用環(huán)境，產(chǎn)品應(yīng)該具有的外觀形貌。為了滿足這些要求，他必須選擇和規(guī)定所使用的材料。通常，為了利用材料并使產(chǎn)品具有所期望的形狀，設(shè)計工程師知道應(yīng)該采用哪些制造方法。在許多情況下，選擇了某種特定材料就可能意味著已經(jīng)確定了某種必須采用的加工方法。同時，當決定采用某種加工方法后，很可能需要對設(shè)計進行修改，以使這種加工方法能夠被有效而經(jīng)濟地應(yīng)用。某些尺寸公差可以決定產(chǎn)品的加工方法?？傊?，在將設(shè)計轉(zhuǎn)變?yōu)楫a(chǎn)品的過程中，必須有人作出這些決定。在大多數(shù)情況下，如果設(shè)計人員在材料和加工方法方面具有足夠的知識，他會在設(shè)計階段作出最為合理的決定。否則，作出的決定可能會降低產(chǎn)品的性能，或者使產(chǎn)品變得過于昂貴。顯然，設(shè)計工程師是制造過程中的關(guān)鍵人物，如果他們能夠進行面向生產(chǎn)（即可以進行高效率生產(chǎn)）的設(shè)計，就會給公司帶來效益。制造工程師們選擇和調(diào)整所采用的加工方法和設(shè)備，或者監(jiān)督和管理這些加工方法和設(shè)備的使用。一些工程師進行專用工藝裝備的設(shè)計，以使通用機床能夠被用來生產(chǎn)特定的產(chǎn)品。這些工程師們在機床、工藝能力和材料方面必須具有廣泛的知識，以使機器在沒有過載和損壞，而且對被加工材料沒有不良影響的情況下，更為有效地完成所需要的加工工序。這些制造工程師們在制造業(yè)中也起到重要作用。少數(shù)工程師們設(shè)計在制造業(yè)中使用的機床和設(shè)備。顯然，他們是設(shè)計工程師。而且對于他們的產(chǎn)品而言，他們同樣關(guān)心設(shè)計、材料和制造方法之間的相互關(guān)系。然而，他們更多地關(guān)心他們所設(shè)計的機床將要加工的材料的性能和機床與材料之間的相互作用。這有另外一些工程師——材料工程師，他們致力于研制新型的和更好的材料，他們也應(yīng)該關(guān)心這些材料的加工方法和加工對材料性能的影響。盡管工程師們所起的作用可能會有很大差別，但是，大部分工程師們都必須考慮材料與制造工藝之間的相互關(guān)系。低成本制造并不是自動產(chǎn)生的。在產(chǎn)品設(shè)計、材料選擇、加工方法和設(shè)備的選擇，工藝裝備選擇和設(shè)計之間都有著非常密切的相互依賴關(guān)系。這些步驟中的每一個都必須在開始制造前仔細地加以考慮、規(guī)劃和協(xié)調(diào)。這種從產(chǎn)品設(shè)計到實際生產(chǎn)的準備工作，特別是對于復(fù)雜產(chǎn)品，可能需要數(shù)月甚至數(shù)年的時間，并且可能花費很多錢。典型的例子有，對于一種全新的汽車，從設(shè)計到投產(chǎn)所需要的時間大約為2年，而一種現(xiàn)代化飛機則可能需要4年。在解決這類問題時，利用高性能微型計算機和進入信息高速公路可以大大增強工程小組的能力和效率。這些信息時代的工具可以使工程小組利用大規(guī)模的數(shù)據(jù)庫。數(shù)據(jù)庫中有材料性能、標準、技術(shù)和成功的設(shè)計方案等信息。這些經(jīng)過驗證的設(shè)計可以通過下載直接應(yīng)用，或者通